The National tribune., 1887-03-31

or on the train. The gate-kecpcr punches
your ticket when you enter the depot; then
you crawl in a door in the side OF the
car. in a sort Of a stall about five feet
wide, with a seat on either side. Half oi
the passengers must ride backwards, no matter
which way the train goes, and in this little
hot, tucked-up stall you are locked without
either water or watercloset. and should one or
two Of your room-mates be drunk, rs have
seen them, they will make you wish you were
in great American pig-pen, for change OF
smell.
1t is against the rules TO smoke in these stalls
but i have been shut up in one moro than once,
with a frst-class ticket in my pocket, with a
first-class hole punched i'm it, when thought
was sitting over the smokestaek and the fire.
man was running her entirely
ON PLUG TOBACCO.
When the train is about ready TO start man
with the crown and "V. r." on his arm-at
about the same place the newly promoted Cor
poral would pin on his first two stripes-and a
band on his cap will grab up a large dinner
bell and ring il as though the Queen had told
him to do his level best Another blows a shrill
whistle, and then the train starts Just the other
way from what you have arranged for, and you
have TO ride backward. They run the engines
as much one way as the other. and / think
they look best running backward, for they look
as if they had run into something and knocked
the whole front end of and were going back Ia
the shop to get repaired
To give you an idea Of the cost of travel
will name one place, Ballaret, 1901 miles from
Melbourne; fare one way, 16 shillings, or 81.
i never saw a regular trunk at the depots, nor
any baggagemaster nor checks. Some have
valises, but they call them portmoneys," and
if you wish il checked the porter will paste a
rule or regulation on il (they can't help it, and
give you nothing, and when you get TO your
destination all you have 10 do is to 60 and hunt
it out Of the pile yourself, and if it is lost, or
not there, don't think you will see any notice
what TO do about it.
Next come the hotels, which are run solely
for the bar. Over the door is generally the
words, Licensed Victualer," and the names
are very absurd such as Bulls Head Hotel, !"
Labor IN Vain Hotel" or " Engineers Arms
Hotel" etc. Every one has an entrance for
men 10 the bar and a private entrance for
women. The private entrance is generally in
a hall, with small opening or window into the
bar on one side of this hall, and door nearly
opposite that opens into what they call the
" Bar Parlor." This is one Of the necessities
for the women are, if possible,
WORSE THAN THE MEN.
There are women, and children from four years
mp, continuously going in and out of these pri.
vate entrances with pitchers (called Jugs "
way they drink beer and the amount of drunk
enness there is. You cannot 60 any distance
without seeing drunken men and women ly-
ing on the ground, on the commons. in the
gardens and alleys, in fact everywhere; and
have seen young women actually rolling and
wallowing in mud hole, too drunk to get out
of il. Ihaye seen old gray headed women, right
in the heart of the city. lying dead-drunk on
the sidewalk in front of stores so helpless that
To-
haul them away.
Women dressed in fine black silks, with the
appearance Of being highly-refned ladies, are
elten seen staggering along the busy streets,
with no sign of shame or degradation and
men with fine broadcloth suits and plug hats,
reeling from one side 10 the other of the walk.
IL makes one not accustomed to il ashamed
of his race. Perhaps few would ever mention
il, but / started out TO tell you all about Aus
tralia, and as this beastly drunkenness is the
first thing that attracts your attention, and it
is general, it is impossible for me TO over
look or pass il by. am as much ashamed of it
as though 1t were my own people and country.
The next is tobacco Everybody, young and
old, of the male sex, smokes mostly old pipes,
and always plug tobacco. Young men going
10 church with mother and sister, or going for a
walk in the gardens with their best gi rls on their
arms are putting the fumes of very bad tobacco;
shake hands, perhaps raise his hat and be
polite, with that old pipe in his mouth and that
hOrrid smoke actually blowing in the ladies'
faces. Should q lady inquire for a certain street
or number, she is liable to
GET SMOKE ENOUGH
with the answer TO last her until she finds her
object Of inquiry. In a certain depot / saw five
large sign boards with No smoking allowed" "
in large painted letters on them, and almost
within reach of one was sitting n man smoking
that old familiar plug with ladies on either
side and little girls climbing all over him.
can stand little drunkenness and some swear
ing, but when you shut me in a closed bus with
about four smoking plug tobacco. il makes me
feel dreadful tired of riding, and i want TO walk
awful bad, even if my boots do hurt my feet
Here is where the contraries come in. Win
ter is in Jaly and August, and il gets so cold il
sometimes freezes ice rs thick as window glass
but not often. IL does not kill garden plants
or flowers. The hottest part of Summer is from
the 10th of January TO the 1st of March. The
north winds blow very hot and the south winds
cool and refreshing. The sun TO me rises in
the North and sets i'm the South, but this OF
course is my fault and not the suns. We are
on the other side of the globe from America, 50
it is night when you have the sun and day
here while you have the moon so we do not
see the "dipper" Of stars but see the southern
cross, which you never see.
The timber is principally gum or eucalyptus
pronounced u-ka-lip-tuS-and sheds its bark
instead Of its leaves, which are evergreen; the
birds do not sing, being mostly magpies, par.
rotts, cockstoos, etc. Most all Of them may be
taught TO talk or whistle, but not to sing
| much.
The people call small tin pail "billy,"
drinking-cup panakin," pitcher "jug,'
and jug bottle" a wrench "spanner" :"
a field is paddock" freight wagon is
"dory," and they shout "Whay" to stop 9
horse. The cable cars are called "trams,"
depot is station" car is railway car
riage," and a freight car is horse box ."
candy is "lollies," molasses is "treacle,"
buggy Of any kind is trap" and covered
wagon Of any kind is van"
As it is nearly mail time, will have to con
clude this letter and give you more in my next
Allow me 10 say, a beautiful book, entitled
Pictures of Australia" in red and gold, beau
tifully illustrated, about II by IA inches, will
gilt edges, weighing two and a half pounds
with statistics up 10 l5S6, can be mailed, pos
paid, for So, draft on New York or in green
backs 1t is well worth the money. Postag
on letters for here is l. cents.-E S. HEATH
259 Smith street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
via San Francisco.